[LM_NET] HIT: Primary students using the OPAC

[Barbara Braxton <barbara.288@BIGPOND.COM>]

Thank you to the many people who responded to my query about whether primary school 
students use the
OPAC when selecting fiction.

Overwhelmingly the response was that they do not.  Even though they know how to use 
it, the novelty
soon wears off particularly if there are only a few terminals available, and they 
select by
browsing, often finding things they might not have otherwise encountered. Some 
students do use it
but they are in a minority when compared to the school population.

This result, based on your anecdotal responses, supports my premise that the most 
effective way to
support students looking for fiction is to have as few locations as practical.  
Many stated that,
like me, they had a variation based on  just picture books, novels and series. Some 
used stickers to
denote various things but these books were intershelved with the general collection.

Barbara

Barbara Braxton
Teacher Librarian
COOMA NSW 2630
AUSTRALIA

E. barbara.288@bigpond.com
Together we learn from each other 

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